Festivus Recap (with pictures)

Two days after Festivus, and I’m still thinking of grievances I should have aired…

Despite a few no-shows, I think it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all at the first annual Festivus party. Bone had the refreshment table decorated with a traditional solid red table cloth, and served an array of delicious refreshments, ranging from Junior Mints and Twix to chips and salsa. (But no double-dipping!) The celebration began with the Festivus dinner, which consisted of Domino’s pizza. While eating, the guests enjoyed “The Outing” episode of Seinfeld, followed by “The Strike,” from which Festivus originated.

Next, it was time for the Airing of Grievances. This actually worked out better than I ever thought it would. The grievance worksheets were passed around and everyone worked on them for about fifteen minutes. Then James, playing the part of Frank Costanza, read a bit from “The Strike” script. After that, each of the guests took turns standing by the Festivus pole and airing his or her grievances. The pole was a big hit, especially with Buzz.

Following that, we played a game of Cranium. The team of Bone, Java, Bootay, and James narrowly defeated the foursome of J-Mo, Buzz, Little Joe, and Meghan. After that was over, the Asians decided they had to leave early. Something about “It’s already Saturday afternoon in China!” So the six of us who remained decided to play No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em. I guess this was our version of the Feats of Strength. Little Joe and I were the only ones to leave with anything more than our underwear and car keys.

I think everyone finally ended up leaving a little after 1:00. Of course, I was up to nearly 3:00 after Buzz and Meghan presented me with this:

River Raid, Combat, Missile Command, Yars’ Revenge, Pitfall, etc. And original controllers! Are you kidding me?

Here are some Festivus pics and a couple of other random pics from the weekend:
1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

1. The official Airing of Grievances worksheet.
2. Java Boo Boo airs his grievances with women everywhere.
3. Two sleepy girls on my couch. The last time that happened? Hmm…
4. ‘Neath my tree, circa 4:30 PM Saturday. See? It’s not OCD. Just don’t dare move any of them.
5. “You know, I really thought there’d be more girls here… not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
6. Day after Festivus/Christmas Eve lunch. It was during this meal that I decided I had a new favorite part of the female anatomy.

So, the pole is back in the crawlspace (actually up on a shelf in the laundry room). The grievances have been aired. Festivus is over. I proudly declare the first annual Festivus party a qualified success. And if I don’t get kicked out, as we got quite loud the other night, I plan to have another one next year. I was reading the other day that Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as a legal holiday. Hey, at least we were first in something. And if I have anything to do with it, we’ll be the first to recognize Festivus as well.

“How can it be permissible? She compromised my principle, yeah yeah. That kind of love is mythical. She’s anything but typical…”

Festivus Recap (with pictures)

Two days after Festivus, and I’m still thinking of grievances I should have aired…

Despite a few no-shows, I think it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all at the first annual Festivus party. Bone had the refreshment table decorated with a traditional solid red table cloth, and served an array of delicious refreshments, ranging from Junior Mints and Twix to chips and salsa. (But no double-dipping!) The celebration began with the Festivus dinner, which consisted of Domino’s pizza. While eating, the guests enjoyed “The Outing” episode of Seinfeld, followed by “The Strike,” from which Festivus originated.

Next, it was time for the Airing of Grievances. This actually worked out better than I ever thought it would. The grievance worksheets were passed around and everyone worked on them for about fifteen minutes. Then James, playing the part of Frank Costanza, read a bit from “The Strike” script. After that, each of the guests took turns standing by the Festivus pole and airing his or her grievances. The pole was a big hit, especially with Buzz.

Following that, we played a game of Cranium. The team of Bone, Java, Bootay, and James narrowly defeated the foursome of J-Mo, Buzz, Little Joe, and Meghan. After that was over, the Asians decided they had to leave early. Something about “It’s already Saturday afternoon in China!” So the six of us who remained decided to play No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em. I guess this was our version of the Feats of Strength. Little Joe and I were the only ones to leave with anything more than our underwear and car keys.

I think everyone finally ended up leaving a little after 1:00. Of course, I was up to nearly 3:00 after Buzz and Meghan presented me with this:

River Raid, Combat, Missile Command, Yars’ Revenge, Pitfall, etc. And original controllers! Are you kidding me?

Here are some Festivus pics and a couple of other random pics from the weekend:
1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

1. The official Airing of Grievances worksheet.
2. Java Boo Boo airs his grievances with women everywhere.
3. Two sleepy girls on my couch. The last time that happened? Hmm…
4. ‘Neath my tree, circa 4:30 PM Saturday. See? It’s not OCD. Just don’t dare move any of them.
5. “You know, I really thought there’d be more girls here… not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
6. Day after Festivus/Christmas Eve lunch. It was during this meal that I decided I had a new favorite part of the female anatomy.

So, the pole is back in the crawlspace (actually up on a shelf in the laundry room). The grievances have been aired. Festivus is over. I proudly declare the first annual Festivus party a qualified success. And if I don’t get kicked out, as we got quite loud the other night, I plan to have another one next year. I was reading the other day that Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as a legal holiday. Hey, at least we were first in something. And if I have anything to do with it, we’ll be the first to recognize Festivus as well.

“How can it be permissible? She compromised my principle, yeah yeah. That kind of love is mythical. She’s anything but typical…”